Rail for self-propelled electric trucks

ABSTRACT

Rail for self-propelled electric trucks, with the rail ( 2 ) having a base part ( 6 ) and C-shaped side flanks ( 8, 10 ) which engage over side wheels ( 12 ) of the truck ( 4 ). In order to improve the rail, each C-shaped side flank ( 8, 10 ) has a central running area ( 14 ), which is offset outwards, for side guide rollers ( 16 ) of the truck ( 4 ) and upper and lower supporting services ( 18, 20 ) which run at an angle to the wheel ( 12 ) for the side wheels ( 12 ), with the running area ( 14 ) and the supporting areas ( 18, 20 ) being used alternately.

This application claims priority of PCT application PCT/EP2005/012538having a priority date of Nov. 23, 2005, the disclosure of which isincorporated herein by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The invention concerns a rail for a self-propelled electric trolley.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Rails of the type mentioned above are known from many examples.

CH 515 819 describes such a rail in which the C-shaped sides of therails engage the side wheels of the trolley. The wheels in turn run onthe upper or lower edges of the C-shaped sides. For lateral support,radially projecting support rims, which function in concert with theside parts of the sides of the rail, are provided along thecircumferential running surfaces of the trolley wheels on the sidefacing away from the sides. Because they can be easily damaged, thesupport rims make the trolley wheels relatively complicated andvulnerable. The support rims may also cause damage to a surface on whichthe trolley is placed outside the rail. Finally, the rail is alsorelatively complicated, because it requires a ledge on which the supportrims can be supported laterally to be present between the sides and thebase part of the rail. In overhead suspension operation, the support rimexerts force on the outer edge of the sides, making it necessary forthese parts to be of thick construction to prevent bending. Theytherefore require a relatively high amount of material and are thuscostly.

WO95/14599 presents an improved rail in which the C-shaped sides connectevenly to the base part and no ledges are necessary. For the trolleywheels, the support rims are replaced by lateral guide wheels within thewheels, which abut the center of the sides. Because the guide wheelsengage the center of the sides, less supporting force needs to beexerted by the sides and the rails can therefore be of lighterconstruction as a result of the supporting forces acting at a lowerlevel. However, this rail may only be used by trolleys with lateralguide rollers.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The object of the invention is to create a novel type of rail, whichallows mixed operation of trolleys with and without lateral guidingrollers.

If each C-shaped side features a central, outwardly displaced runningarea for the lateral guide rollers of the trolley and upper and lowersupport surfaces for the side wheel inclined towards the wheel, wherethe running areas and the support surfaces areas are used inalternation, then the rail can be used by both trolleys with simplewheels without support rims and by trolleys with lateral guide rollers.The simple wheels rest on the lower support surfaces when the trolley isdriven on a normal level, or on the upper support surfaces when thetrolley is driven suspended overhead. On trolleys with lateral guiderollers, these rollers abut the middle running area of the C-shapedsides of the rails. The novel rail thus facilitates mixed operation byboth types of vehicles.

The special profiling of the C-shaped sides of the rails reduces thebending of the sides when overhead suspension is employed. Less materialis required to construct the rail, while at the same time the trolleycan be loaded more heavily. The space gained through the upper guidebevel of the side can be used for integrating the assembly grooves.

Advantageous configurations of the rails are detailed in the followingexemplary embodiments.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The exemplary embodiments of the invention are described in greaterdetail with reference to the drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 A rail with a trolley without lateral guide rollers, frontalview;

FIG. 2 A rail with a trolley with lateral guide rollers, frontal view

FIG. 3 The rail shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 without trolley;

FIG. 4 Diagrammatic illustration of the rail shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 Side view of the connection between two rail segments;

FIG. 6 Side view of the connection between two rail segments withexpansion joint;

FIG. 7 The rail shown in FIG. 3 only with power rails;

FIG. 8 The rail shown in FIG. 7 in section VIII-VIII from FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 The rail shown in FIG. 7 in section IX-IX from FIG. 7;

FIG. 10 Diagrammatic illustration of a concave rail segment;

FIG. 11 Diagrammatic illustration of a convex rail segment;

FIG. 12 Diagrammatic illustration of a laterally curved rail segment;

FIG. 13 A base segment part for connecting the sides of the rail shownin FIG. 12.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

FIGS. 1 and 2 show a cross section of a segment of a conveyor systemthat features rails 2 in which a self-propelled trolley 4 is arranged.One such rail 2 features a base part 6 and C-shaped sides 8, 10, whichenclose the side wheels 12 of the trolley 4. The C-shaped sides 8, 10each feature a central, outwardly displaced running area 14 for thelateral guide rollers 16 of the trolley, as well as upper and lowersupport surfaces 18, 20, each inclined towards the wheel 12. One and thesame rail is thus suited for trolleys 4 that feature lateral guiderollers 16, as shown in FIG. 2, and for trolleys 4 without lateral guiderollers, but on which the wheels 12 simply abut the support surfaces 18,20.

The wheels 12 and the guide rollers 16 are generally non-powered wheelsor rollers without any drive function. Drive is provided on the one handby a frictional wheel 22 functioning in concert with a correspondingfrictional surface 24 of the rail 2, and/or a cog 26 functioningtogether with a cog rail 28 of the rail 2. Sliding contacts 30, 32, 34function together with power rails 36, 38, 40 in the rail and serve totransmit current on the one hand and provide switching and controlfunctions on the other hand.

The details of the rail and its function are illustrated in greaterdetail in FIGS. 3 through 13 and are further described below.

In the respective upper portion of the C-shaped sides 8, 10, the rail 2features dovetailed assembly grooves 42, 44, which accommodate theclampable connection strips 46 for connecting adjoining rail segments 2a, 2 b to one another. Additional assembly grooves 48, 50 foraccommodating connection strips 46 are arranged on the bottom side ofthe base part 6 of the rail 2. To provide a secure connection betweenadjoining rail sections 2 a, 2 b, the connection strips 46 featureclamping screws 52 for each rail section 2 a, 2 b as FIG. 5 illustrates.To create an expansion joint 54 between segments 2 a, 2 b, theconnection strips 46 are fastened to only one rail segment 2 b by meansof clamping screws 52, while the connection strip 46 is displaceablyarranged in the other rail segment 2 a as FIG. 6 shows.

The power rails 36, 38, 40 are fastened with the aid of sliders 56,which feature a block part 58 with molded feet 60, 62, which engage thedovetailed assembly grooves 64 of the rails 2. Driven dowel pins 66between the feet 60, 62 prevent the sliders 56 from separating from thebase part 6. In FIGS. 7 and 9, the dowel pins 66 are shown prior tobeing driven into the opening 68 between the feet 60, 62. Recesses 70for accommodating the power rails 36, 38, 40 are arranged in the blockpart 58. Lateral to the block part 58 are snap-in pins 72, which featuresnap-in hooks 74, 76 oriented away from one another, which functiontogether with facing snap-in strips 78, 80 of the hollow power rails 36,38, 40. To facilitate connection to a power supply, the heads 82 ofcontact screws 84 extending through the block part 58 of the slider 56and the base part 6 of the rail 2 to the opposite side thereof arearranged in the power rails 36, 38, 40. As FIGS. 1 through 3 reflect,the contact screws 84 are secured by means of a first nut 86, while asecond nut 88 serves for clamping the power supply connection 90.

Arranged on the bottom side of the base part 6 is an additionaldovetailed assembly groove 92 for the purpose of fastening cable clips94. The latter features clipping feet 96, 98, which engage the assemblygroove 92 and between which a dowel pin 100 is arranged to prevent thefeet from separating from the assembly groove 92. The cable clips 94arranged at specific intervals on the bottom side of the base part 6serve to hold all types of lines such as power supply lines and controllines. The bottom side of the base part 6 can also ultimately be coveredwith a cover 102 that features side fastening strips 104, 106 thatengage corresponding insert grooves 108, 110 on the bottom side of thebase part.

An additional dovetailed assembly groove 112 for securing the cog rail28 is arranged on the top side of the base part 6.

A rail of this kind can be bent to form an inside curve as shown in FIG.10 or an outside curve as shown in FIG. 11. For this purpose, the railcan be bent as a whole unit in the manner shown.

To form an inside or outside curve as shown in FIG. 12, the C-shapedsides 8 a and 10 a must be individually bent according to the desiredcurvature radius and then connected to one another using the basesegment parts 6 a.

The new rail is suited not only for mixed operation by trolleys with andwithout lateral guide rollers, but, thanks to the assembly grooves andthe insert-and-clip connections, can be employed universally, is easy toretrofit, and can be assembled quickly and easily. Rails can be removedand later reused in a simple manner. No complicated tools are required.

Reference number list  2 Rail  2a, 2b Rail segment  4 Trolley  6 Basepart  6a Base segment part  8, 8a C-shaped side  10, 10a C-shaped side 12 Wheel  14 Running area  16 Guide roller  18, 20 Support surface  22Frictional wheel  24 Frictional surface  26 Cog  28 Cog rail  30, 32, 34Sliding contact  36, 38, 40 Power rail  42 Assembly groove on 8  44Assembly groove on 10  46 Connection strip  48 Assembly groove on 6  50Assembly groove on 6  52 Clamping screw  54 Expansion joint  56 Slider 58 Block part  60, 62 Foot  64 Assembly groove  66 Dowel pin  68Opening  70 Recess  72 Snap-in pin  74, 76 Snap-in hook  78, 80 Snap-instrip  82 Head  84 Contact screw  86 First nut  88 Second nut  90 Powersupply connection  92 Assembly groove  94 Cable clip  96, 98 Foot 100Dowel pin 102 Cover 104, 106 Fastening strip 108, 110 Insert groove 112Assembly groove for 28

1. Rail for self-propelled electric trolley, whereby the rail features abase part and C-shaped sides, which enclose lateral wheels of thetrolley, characterized in that each C-shaped side features a central,outwardly displaced running area for lateral guide rollers of thetrolley as well as upper and lower lateral support surfaces for thelateral wheels, each inclined towards the wheel, so that one and thesame rail is suitable for trolleys having lateral wheels with guidingrollers as well as without guiding rollers, wherein the outwardlydisplaced running area is operably engaged with lateral wheels havingguiding rollers and the upper and lower lateral support surfaces arealternatively operably engaged with lateral wheels without guidingrollers; and whereby said rail features dovetailed assembly grooves foraccommodating attachments on the inside of the base part, characterizedin that it features multiple sliders arranged in intervals over thelength of the rail and perpendicular to the rail, each of which featuresfeet clipped into the assembly grooves with dowel pins driven betweenthe feet.
 2. Rail as in claim 1, characterized in that on the sidefacing away from the fastening side, each slider features recessesoriented with the rail for accommodating power rails.
 3. Rail as inclaim 2, characterized in that assigned to each recess are snap-in pins,which feature snap-in hooks oriented away from one another, whichfunction together with facing snap-in strips of the hollow power rails.4. Rail for self-propelled electric trolley, whereby the rail features abase part and C-shaped sides, which enclose lateral wheels of thetrolley, characterized in that each C-shaped side features a central,outwardly displaced running area for lateral guide rollers of thetrolley as well as upper and lower lateral support surfaces for thelateral wheels, each inclined towards the wheel, so that one and thesame rail is suitable for trolleys having lateral wheels with guidingrollers as well as without guiding rollers, wherein the outwardlydisplaced running area is operably engaged with lateral wheels havingguiding rollers and the upper and lower lateral support surfaces arealternatively operably engaged with lateral wheels without guidingrollers; and on the bottom side of the base part it features adovetailed assembly groove in which the cable clips are installed bymeans of clippable feet, between which dowel pins are arranged.
 5. Railfor self-propelled electric trolley, whereby the rail features a basepart and C-shaped sides, which enclose lateral wheels of the trolley,characterized in that each C-shaped side features a central, outwardlydisplaced running area for lateral guide rollers of the trolley as wellas upper and lower lateral support surfaces for the lateral wheels, eachinclined towards the wheel, so that one and the same rail is suitablefor trolleys having lateral wheels with guiding rollers as well aswithout guiding rollers, wherein the outwardly displaced running area isoperably engaged with guiding rollers of lateral wheels and the upperand lower lateral support surfaces are alternatively operably engagedwith lateral wheels without guiding rollers, and further wherein theoutside of its profile features dovetailed assembly grooves foraccommodating clampable connection strips for connecting neighboringrail segments, whereby said rail features dovetailed assembly groovesfor accommodating attachments on the inside of the base part and itfeatures multiple sliders arranged in intervals over the length of therail and perpendicular to the rail, each of which features feet clippedinto the assembly grooves with dowel pins driven between the feet. 6.Rail for self-propelled electric trolley, whereby the rail features abase part and C-shaped sides, which enclose lateral wheels of thetrolley, characterized in that each C-shaped side features a central,outwardly displaced running area for lateral guide rollers of thetrolley as well as upper and lower lateral support surfaces for thelateral wheels, each inclined towards the wheel, so that one and thesame rail is suitable for trolleys having lateral wheels with guidingrollers as well as without guiding rollers, wherein the outwardlydisplaced running area is operably engaged with guiding rollers oflateral wheels and the upper and lower lateral support surfaces arealternatively operably engaged with lateral wheels without guidingrollers, and further wherein the outside of its profile featuresdovetailed assembly grooves for accommodating clampable connectionstrips for connecting neighboring rail segments, at least two assemblygrooves are arranged on the base part, whereby said rail featuresdovetailed assembly grooves for accommodating attachments on the insideof the base part and it features multiple sliders arranged in intervalsover the length of the rail and perpendicular to the rail, each of whichfeatures feet clipped into the assembly grooves with dowel pins drivenbetween the feet.
 7. Rail for self-propelled electric trolley, wherebythe rail features a base part and C-shaped sides, which enclose lateralwheels of the trolley, characterized in that each C-shaped side featuresa central, outwardly displaced running area for lateral guide rollers ofthe trolley as well as upper and lower lateral support surfaces for thelateral wheels, each inclined towards the wheel, so that one and thesame rail is suitable for trolleys having lateral wheels with guidingrollers as well as without guiding rollers, wherein the outwardlydisplaced running area is operably engaged with guiding rollers oflateral wheels and the upper and lower lateral support surfaces arealternatively operably engaged with lateral wheels without guidingrollers, and further wherein the outside of its profile featuresdovetailed assembly grooves for accommodating clampable connectionstrips for connecting neighboring rail segments, an assembly groove isarranged in each of the sides at a location distally spaced from thebase and distal of the running area, whereby said rail featuresdovetailed assembly grooves for accommodating attachments on the insideof the base part and it features multiple sliders arranged in intervalsover the length of the rail and perpendicular to the rail, each of whichfeatures feet clipped into the assembly grooves with dowel pins drivenbetween the feet.
 8. Rail for self-propelled electric trolley, wherebythe rail features a base part and C-shaped sides, which enclose lateralwheels of the trolley, characterized in that each C-shaped side featuresa central, outwardly displaced running area for lateral guide rollers ofthe trolley as well as upper and lower lateral support surfaces for thelateral wheels, each inclined towards the wheel, so that one and thesame rail is suitable for trolleys having lateral wheels with guidingrollers as well as without guiding rollers, wherein the outwardlydisplaced running area is operably engaged with guiding rollers oflateral wheels and the upper and lower lateral support surfaces arealternatively operably engaged with lateral wheels without guidingrollers, and further wherein the outside of its profile featuresdovetailed assembly grooves for accommodating clampable connectionstrips for connecting neighboring rail segments, to create an expansionjoint between neighboring segments, the connection strip is clamped inonly one rail segment and displaceably arranged in the other railsegment, whereby said rail features dovetailed assembly grooves foraccommodating attachments on the inside of the base part and it featuresmultiple sliders arranged in intervals over the length of the rail andperpendicular to the rail, each of which, features feet clipped into theassembly grooves with dowel pins driven between the feet.